It's already sucked the life out of many among us, turning our worlds upside down, robbing us of our jobs, our businesses, our homes and, in some cases, even our hope. And as bad as all that has been, it promises to get worse before it gets better.

The president is doing his best to keep our spirits up, trying to convince us that his plans will get us back on track, if only we'll hang in there a little longer.

But everything around us, especially here in the San Joaquin Valley, seems to say different. The ever-rising unemployment, the flood of foreclosures, the increase in bankruptcies, the empty store fronts, the cutbacks in government services and so many other sad signs signal that we're not out of the woods.

Some economists believe we're near the bottom; others say not so fast, that we still have a long, hard road ahead of us.

Sooner or later, though, these painful times will pass. Well, we want it to be sooner rather than later; in fact, we want it to be today, not tomorrow or, worse, not next year.

We're ready to let the good times roll, to sing "Happy days are here again," to get back to normal.